Radioactive Scraps Found in Hanford Basin Sludge

The highly radioactive scraps are about an inch in size. They were spotted by an underwater camera in the K West Basin. The basin held nuclear weapon ingredients that were unprocessed at the end of the Cold War.

The Tri-City Herald reports the last of the fuel was removed last May. Workers were recently measuring the sludge when they spotted the broken scraps. They've been placed in a canister in the basin where any more scraps will be stored as the sludge is removed.

The Energy Department project director for K Basins Closure, Tom Teynor, says care is being taken to protect cleanup workers from exposure to the high-dose fuel.